Street or station indicator.



'II/I. FITZGERALD. STREET 0R STATION INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1,916.

.Wal/W Wilzgerald,

Patented Feb. 27, 1917'.`

`2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IVI. FITZGERALD.

STREET 0R sTATToN INDICATOR.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1916. l I 1,217,737. Patented 1Teb.27,1917.v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M17' ilzgerald W7@ @I @M @em MICHAEL FITZGERALD, 0E MEDINA,A NEW YOEK.

Y STREET OR STATION INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

rateateareb. 2,7', 1917.

Application led March 3, 1916. Serial No. 81,940.

To all 'whom z' may concern: y

Be it known that I, MICHAEL FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medina, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented new and-useful Improvements in Street or Station Indicators, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in street or 'station indicators. j

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide a device of the class described which will be found especially useful on street cars, interurban cars, etc., and which may beoperated by the conductor of the car to indicate the names of the streets or stations successively as the car ap-V proaches such streets or stations, which will embody comparatively few partsI and these so correlated and arranged as to reduce the possibility of derangement to av minimum, which may be manufactured and installed at small cost, and which will operate eiiiciently and eectively for its intended purose.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter set forth in and falling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: v

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a street or station indicator constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a similar view ofthe opposite side.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical enlarged sectional view showing one of the shafts and the brakeV associated therewith.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1 designates a substantially rectangular casing having the front wall formed at a point approximately centrally of its height, with a transverse sight opening 2. Secured to the top and bottom walls'of the casing 1 are brackets 3 of suitable construction whereby the casing may be fastened to an appropriate part of the car.

Arranged across the-casing 1 and journaled in bearing openings formed in the side walls thereof are horizontal shafts 4 and 5 arranged one above the other and Xed upon spaced apart are the names of the streets orv stations to be indicated.

The ends ofthe shafts 4 and 5 `project be- `yond the side walls of the casingand fixed upon the ends of the shafts at one side of the casing are ratchet wheels 9, while loosely mounted upon said ends of the shafts are the limbs of yokes 10 and the stems of the yokesy project to-ward'each other and overlap. Formed in the overlapping ends of the stems of the yokesv10 are elongated slots 11 through which is passed a pin 12 and connected to the ends of the pin 12 is a yoke13. One end of the pin 12 pro-jects beyond the yoke and is disposed'in a horizontal guide -14 secured to the adjacent side wall of the casing, while connected to the yoke 13 is a pullv cord 15. Secured to the shaft ends of theyokes 13 and projecting outwardly therefrom are arms 16 and connected to the arms 16 are the corresponding ends of springs 17 the other ends of the springs being secured to brackets 18 fastened to the casing. Pivo-ted within each yoke 13 is a spring actuated dog V19 no'rmally'held in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, while formed on each dog 19 and projecting outwardly therefrom is a pin 20. Pivoted upon the outer member of each yoke is a releasing arm 21 having the outer endthereofrounded as at 22 and formed centrally with a depression 23. Thesearms 21 are adapted to move into engagement with the respective pins 20 i vso as to swing the dogs out of engagement with the ratchet wheels and when the pins drop into the depressions 23, the dogs are held against return to normal position against the action oftheir springs.

The springs 17 a-ct to hold lthe overlapping ends of the stems of the yokes normally at the rear end of the casing and disposed in the path of movement of the stems of the yokes are buffers 24 of some suitable construction secured to. the adjacent side wall of the casing.

In practice, one or the other of the dogs 19 is relieved of the influence of the holding arm 21 and engaged with the adjacent ratchet wheel 9, while the other dog is held out of engagement with the ratchet wheel. Vhen it is desired to rotate the drums so that the web will unwind from one drum and wind onto the other, the cord 15 is pulled, thereby swinging the yokes against the action of the spring 17 and in this movement of the yokes the dog in engagement with the ratchet Wheel rotates the latter to wind the web upon the drum connected` to such ratchet wheel. Upon the release of the pull cord, the springs 17 react and restore the yokes to normal position, so that the above operation may be again repeated. In the return of the yokes to normal position under the action of the springs 17, the stems of the yokes engage the buffers 24, thereby limiting the movement of the yokes under the action of the springs. In each movement of the drums, the name of one station is moved out of the sight opening and the name of the neXt station moved into the sight opening, and when the car has traversed the route in one direction and is about to travel in the opposite direction the positions of the dogs may be reversed so that the web will be rewound upon the previously unwinding drum.

Surrounding the opposite end of each shaft 4:, 5 is a collar 25 formed, at diametrically opposite points, with outwardly projecting arms 2G. @near-m 26 is fastened to the casingv as at 27, while the other arm is formed with a longitudinal bore 28 opening into the collar and slidably mounted in the bore 28 is a shoe 29 normally held in frictional engagement with the adjacent portion of the shaft by means of a spring 30 and threaded into the outer end of the bore 28 is a plug 31 acting to hold the spring within the bore. This shoe 29 and the spring 30 constitute a brake or check that acts to hold the shaft against accidental rotary movement.

I claim:

1. In a street or station indicator, a casing having a sight opening therein, shafts journaled in said casingabove and below said sight opening respectively, drums fixed upon said shafts, a web having the names of the stations thereon and having the ends thereof secured to said drums and wrapped about the same and the intermediate portion movable across said sight opening, ratchet wheels on the ends of said shafts respectively, yokes loosely mounted upon said shafts and having stems projecting toward each other and overlapping and formed with elongated slots, spring dogs pivoted within said yokes and adapted to engage said ratchet wheels, a pin passed through said slots, a yoke connected to said pin, a pull cord connected to said lastyoke whereby the iirst-mentioned yokes may be swung to rotatesaid ratchet wheels, and means carried by each yoke for holding the dog thereon out of engagement with the ratchet wheel.

2. Ina street or station indicator, a casing having a sight opening therein, shafts jour naled in said casing above and below said sight opening respectively, drums fixed upon said shafts, a web having the names of the stations thereon and having the ends thereof secured to said drums and wrapped about the same and the intermediate portion movable across said sight opening, ratchet wheels on the ends of said shafts respectively, yokes loosely mounted upon said shafts and having stems projecting toward each other and overlapping and formed with elongated slots, spring dogs pivoted within said yokes and adapted to engage said ratchet wheels, a pin passedthrough said slots, a yoke connected to said pin, a pull cord connected to said last-yoke whereby the first-mentioned yokes may be swung to rotate said ratchet wheels, means carried by each yoke for holding the dog thereon out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, and a horizontal guide carried by the casing and receiving one end of said pin to guide the latter in its movement under the action of said pull cord.

1n testimony whereof 1 aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL FITZGERALD.

`Witnesses JAMES H. CONLEY, GEORGE R. CoNLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

